Worried

[Catarina]

Hi again.

My cockatiel has been giving me the worse anxiety latelly with his poops.
He is now changing his feathers so i am giving him some vitamin A (vet gave them for this ocasion) since he has vitamin A deficient.

But latelly he has some wetter poops in the mornings.
I tried reaching the vet but she is away really away doing some studies i'm hunting for a new vet but it has not been easy. Where i live we have very few good with bird vets and they run around the country.

The vitamin A supplement probably made him get a bigger apetite since he finally put on some weight.
He is acting happy, active and eating almost double what he used too. He used to weigh 72/74 grams and now weighs 76/78

Now the problem is in the mornings mostly he gets the poops in the first photo. This usually lasts for 4 poops or so.Then they return to normal as in the second picture.
He eats pellets (changed recently), fruits, veggies, and seeds. And vitamins in his water.
He is free to fly in the bird room and has a full window to check the outside (other birds, cars,people...)

Anyone has had this problem? Should i really worry? Could it be just excitment and/or stress?
I feel so stupid and annoying but my ollie means the world to me and i feel useless without a vet to reach out.

Thank you all for any input. And sorry for being an annoying member.

 

[Maxsmom]

Sorry you are going through this. Sounds like you are doing best you can by trying to locate a vet. Change in poop can mean a lot of things. Fact that poops later in day are normal IMO is a good sign. Perhaps it is what is eaten toward end of day that you are seeing in early morning poop. You are correct that a change in poop signifies something. I am not an avian vet so I don't think I should advise except to keep doing what you are doing in searching for an avian vet aND to perhaps trAvel to do so. Sorry I am not more helpful

 

[CStone]

What you're seeing is a lot of urine in his poop. It could be caused by eating wet foods, like fruits and veggies, or by drinking lots of water. The fecal part of the poop still has form, so it is not diarrhea. I would watch what he eats before these wet poops and monitor how much he's drinking. If he seems to be drinking an excessive amount of water, that is something that needs to be addressed with a vet.

 

[Catarina]

Thanks for the reasurance maxsmom.

CStone he loves greens and he does munch on them mostly in the mornings. Before the pellets he used to drink a lot less. But he flies a lot, like a real amount of going around flying so he takes a few tiny sips in the morning, and fewer sips in the afternoon when he his napping and more relaxed and quiet.
Thank you for your input.

He used to have one or another wet poop when he got scared. But now on pellets he gets these.

I was able to get a reply from the exotic vet center ollie's vet left as reference. I sent both images and another from this morning. Vet said all of them were normal, including the wet one, no poliuria or dirrhea according to the vet.
I find it odd but the vet knows more than me. She said some birds get wetter poop in the mornings due to not eating during the night and nothing wrong with it.

The exotic vet center is really far from me, and i have a diabetic child and a cancer patient at my care unless it is an emergency i can't go there. I'll keep hunting more vets in case i need one.

 

[Maxsmom]

Very glad you got input from a vet. You are a great parront. Best wishes for your sick loved one.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

Glad you were able to get some feedback! I can tell you that one of my cockatiel's started having more urine in his poop in the mornings after I started giving him some seeds with his pellets. His poops return to normal after mid morning. My vet said he checked out fine, and that it must be normal for him with the seeds added to his diet. I think it's important to get him checked by a vet, however, because excess urine could mean a bacteria or another type of problem. Hope he's okay!

 

[Sylvi_]

Sending positive thoughts that little Ollie is okay.
Hugs to you as well.

 

[CStone]

Pellets can definitely cause an increase in water consumption. One of my birds developed polydipsia/polyuria because her kidneys can't handle a diet that is too high in pellets. With that, the poop loses all form and is a runny mess that gets all over the vent area of the poor bird. Your birds poop just looks a little watery.

Glad you were able to get the pics viewed by a vet. Hopefully your mind is at rest about it.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Hope that your 'tiel will be OK. Good that vet said that the droppings appeared to be normal.

 

[blewin]

I was going to say, those droppings look like healthy little poops. You want that tight ball shape with the green feces and white urates. It's the messy poops you want to keep an eye on.

 

[Jaguar]

Those look pretty normal to me too. Glad you got a vet's input though!

 

[Catarina]

Very glad you got input from a vet. You are a great parront. Best wishes for your sick loved one.

Thank you so much. The vet center is really helpfull. And thank you again.

Glad you were able to get some feedback! I can tell you that one of my cockatiel's started having more urine in his poop in the mornings after I started giving him some seeds with his pellets. His poops return to normal after mid morning. My vet said he checked out fine, and that it must be normal for him with the seeds added to his diet. I think it's important to get him checked by a vet, however, because excess urine could mean a bacteria or another type of problem. Hope he's okay!

Ohh that is interesting. Good thing he checked out all good . Birds have so many variations it's incredible.
I will try to get him checked soon and keep your words in mind. Thank you

Sending positive thoughts that little Ollie is okay.
Hugs to you as well.

He is super okay, better than ever i would dare say. But i overead stuff on the poop i supose. Thank you

Pellets can definitely cause an increase in water consumption. One of my birds developed polydipsia/polyuria because her kidneys can't handle a diet that is too high in pellets. With that, the poop loses all form and is a runny mess that gets all over the vent area of the poor bird. Your birds poop just looks a little watery.

Glad you were able to get the pics viewed by a vet. Hopefully your mind is at rest about it.

Poor little baby that must have been so hard on him and you.
I was thinking exactly what happenes to yours, it is my biggest fear with pellets. Thw vet wanted him on 100% pellets with fresh foods... I do not agree with such a heavy diet for such a small bird :/ thank you

Hope that your 'tiel will be OK. Good that vet said that the droppings appeared to be normal.

Thank you

I was going to say, those droppings look like healthy little poops. You want that tight ball shape with the green feces and white urates. It's the messy poops you want to keep an eye on.

Those look pretty normal to me too. Glad you got a vet's input though!

Thank you so much both your comments actually calmed me down more than the vets opinion. Vets are amazing and know a lot but sometimes the opinion of someone that sees more poops in a day than the vet does is just if not more calming.

His poops seem normal no extra water today. This is probably something he will have other days so i will keep a close eye on him.
I found two vets, one is a small animals vet and surgeon with her own clinic, the other works in the zoo with birds of prey and in a parrot conservation and breeding center and does consults.
I'm not sure who to chose one probably has the equipment the other probably has more knowlege.
But at least i have backups if my little ollie seems to be coming down with something.

Again thank you all so very much, i think i won't go crazy thinking about this now.
I'm sorry for the bother and me and ollie greatly apreciate all.

 

[alicat]

I would probably pick the vet with more parrot knowledge, since I feel like they're animals with such specific needs. but that's up to you! glad he's doing okay!

 

[Laurah]

I need to eat healthy like my birds and iguana. Lol I like Ollie's name

 

[blewin]

Definitely choose the vet with the parrot experience. In a pinch, any vet should be able to stabilize a bird (we had this with Buddy), but avian vets are trained in detecting parrot symptoms, and will also know which tests make the most and least sense. You should have heard Buddy's vet go off on vets who give 'tiel's MRI's.

 

[sunnysmom]

Droppings can be more watery too if a tiel is stressed or excited. If he's excited to see you in the morning and wanting out of is cage, etc. that can cause watery droppings. As long as they return to normal, I don' think it's an issue.

 

[CStone]

Poor little baby that must have been so hard on him and you.
I was thinking exactly what happenes to yours, it is my biggest fear with pellets. Thw vet wanted him on 100% pellets with fresh foods... I do not agree with such a heavy diet for such a small bird :/ thank you

I originally took my birds to a vet who also wanted them on a pellet only diet. It only took a week of that for Athena to start having poops that kept getting looser and looser. I have since switched vets to someone who promotes a varied diet. I still give access to pellets 24/7, but their consumption of them is only 5-10% of their diet and that is an amount that she can tolerate.

I think vets recommend the all pellet diet because they know a lot of people are too lazy to provide a varied diet. All pellets is better than the alternative of all dry seed. IMO, both have a place in a birds diet, but neither should be solely relied on.

 

[Catarina]

I would probably pick the vet with more parrot knowledge, since I feel like they're animals with such specific needs. but that's up to you! glad he's doing okay!

Yeah I'm just afraid he won't have the meds if needed :s thank you

I need to eat healthy like my birds and iguana. Lol I like Ollie's name

Mama doing the babies diet

Definitely choose the vet with the parrot experience. In a pinch, any vet should be able to stabilize a bird (we had this with Buddy), but avian vets are trained in detecting parrot symptoms, and will also know which tests make the most and least sense. You should have heard Buddy's vet go off on vets who give 'tiel's MRI's.

Here other vets will refuse to even talk about birds... I've had emergencies that i had to learn how to deal with including a ruptured air sac in a canary or the bird would have died. And even exotic vets will sometimes just see mammals. It gets really frustrating and makes me feel bad for not being able to give my birds more. But yeah you are right the special vet is best, he does see a full breeding center and zoos he needs a good relation with feathery babies.
Buddy is sooo lucky to have you

Droppings can be more watery too if a tiel is stressed or excited. If he's excited to see you in the morning and wanting out of is cage, etc. that can cause watery droppings. As long as they return to normal, I don' think it's an issue.

I did think that but when he had those poop before they looked diferent and it was a pretty quiet day. But i do agree if they go back i should worry less. Thank you very much.

I originally took my birds to a vet who also wanted them on a pellet only diet. It only took a week of that for Athena to start having poops that kept getting looser and looser. I have since switched vets to someone who promotes a varied diet. I still give access to pellets 24/7, but their consumption of them is only 5-10% of their diet and that is an amount that she can tolerate.

I think vets recommend the all pellet diet because they know a lot of people are too lazy to provide a varied diet. All pellets is better than the alternative of all dry seed. IMO, both have a place in a birds diet, but neither should be solely relied on.

Poor Athena :S (adorable name by the way) at least you caught it on time, some less caring person would have let it slide and just trusted the vet.
I'm yet to find a vet that does not defend 100% pellets. Breeders are against "table foods" and pellets, vets against seeds and people get confused and birds suffer.
10% is already pretty to get the benefits from pellets with a varied diet, smart bird
Yeah that and some vets also resell the food and that means more money.
Still according to scientific studies cockatiels do better than other birds on seeds, and small parrots may suffer on all pellet diets, so i have a hard time getting the vets logic.
I agree fully both have a place on the diet. My little ollie has a bit of everything and still has vitamin A deficiency, diet is one thing but each bird has needs and those never come ready to fill in a pack.
Thank you so very much

 

[blewin]

Buddy is fresh-veggie averse (she gave up on romaine as soon as she started drinking from her water dish again). We get her a high quality mix of seeds, pellets, and dehydrated veggies, supplemented with something called australian blend by goldenfeast. It's a specialty mix we have made up at the local bird store, because Buddy is such a picky eater. From what I understand, the Australian Blend is pretty good on its own.

 

[Catarina]

Oh picky baby, maybe she likes the flavour but not the texture? Happens with my ollie and fruits, he hates them because of the mushyness but loves the taste of them dried.
Dehydrated veggies are so good they double as food and toy i love the way chilli peppers keep the birds busy
It's so amazing the pet store does mixes, sounds great and convinient. Never heard of that australian mix but they are usually pretty nice and have tasty things they would eat in the wild

All my birds are veggie freaks, Ollie will even call in the mornings for his green veggies guess i was lucky